Austin, Houston- two different countries? (Dallas, San Antonio: school district, live in, prices)

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by Trae713

How do you do that you ask little Austin? Well, im looking at you now and you're doing a fine job of that. Worst congestion for a mid sized metro area in the country. Congrats. If you want to lower traffic congestion like we have in Houston over the past 12 years, you're going to have to........plan. Can you do that?


From,
Houston



P.s. We should be the capital.

According to Texas Transportation Institute the congestion index has gone up slightly in the past 10 years in Houston from 1.26 to 1.27. It did peak and then go down from 2005 to 2010 but then again most other cities in Texas (including Austin) did the same and was due to economic factors.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by Gorfml

Houston was endless sprawl 25 years ago...it takes 15-30 minutes to visit your closest friends...at 11:00pm. it's ugly and boring...

unless u like to eat and be fat, stay away from Houston...

You're either joking or flaming.
Perhaps you lived too far from your "closest" friends. And anyone who thinks Houston's boring is living under a rock.

[JudyBlue]

Originally Posted by mark311

Where exactly in Austin and Houston are you getting those housing values from? The rest of your points don't match up with the housing costs that you've thrown out there in my opinion. For example, I have friends that live in a great part of Houston (Montrose/Midtown) and their home is around $500k. I would definitely compare it with an area of Austin (ie. Rosedale where the homes can be $500K as well). They both offer a lot of the same, but the Austin neighborhood has lower crime while the Houston neighborhood has better public transportation. You can't really compare the entire metro areas accurately in relation to your points because everyone is going to have a different set of criteria on what their wants and needs are.

$140,000 house off El Dorado Blvd in south Houston
$240,000 house off MoPac in north Austin

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by AK123

You're either joking or flaming.
Perhaps you lived too far from your "closest" friends. And anyone who thinks Houston's boring is living under a rock.

Its not that its boring as much as its that everything fun to do is spread out. You have to travel across the city to fully enjoy it. And as most people know, the city's borders are very large.

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by JudyBlue

$140,000 house off El Dorado Blvd in south Houston
$240,000 house off MoPac in north Austin

Totally laughable comparison. Destroys your credibility and just adds fuel to the suspicion that all you are trying to do is incite a flame war. You know, you could always find something else to do with your time.

[jb9152]

Originally Posted by JudyBlue

I'm not trying to start a flame-war where each party is emotionally defending where they live,....

Wait, you come into an Austin forum, post a factually inaccurate list of reasons why Houston is tons better than Austin, but it's all OK because of your false caveat in the first paragraph? OK....so what would you have done if you *were* trying to "start a flame-war", theoretically?

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by scm53

You can buy all the house you want in Clear Lake and Friendswood for under $150K. Friendswood HS is exemplary rated.

Friendswood is not Houston. You can get all of that in Leander too, but it's not Austin.

[N. Olikee]

Originally Posted by JudyBlue

Want to start a new thread to see who out there has spent a good amount of time in Austin and Houston. I've maintained homes simultaneously in both cities over the last 25-years, and I'm surprised in the very stark differences. I'm not trying to start a flame-war where each party is emotionally defending where they live, just trying to see who out there has noticed these stark differences-

1. Housing costs: My house in Austin cost $240,000. My equivalent size home in Houston cost $140,000. Equal neighborhoods, equal size house, same amenities. If your moving to Austin from California, housing looks like a bargain. If your coming from Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio ( just to name a few examples), you are in for a shock.

2. Roads: Houston has, and continues, to build new roads and make improvements to existing. Austin has done nothing in the last 30 years except to build toll roads AROUND the notorious Austin traffic. It has steadily gotten worse and in my opinion, has destroyed the quality of life (if you have to commute) in the Austin vicinity.

3. Economy: Houston has a robust, vibrant economy that benefits ALL sizes and types of businesses. Austin is two-dimensional, government and high tech. Older shopping centers that fell into disrepair twenty years have come back bigger and better (examples- Gulfgate and Meyerland Plaza). Austin shopping centers have been barely hanging on with no appearance of rebirth (example- Highland Mall).

4. Police: The police in Houston are pro-active and have a presence. The police in Austin are reactive and you hardly ever see them unless something has happened.

5. Gasoline and food cheaper and of better quality.

6. Department stores (examples- Dilliards, JC Pennys) with better quality and prices.

7. Property crime rate: The rate is much higher in Austin than Houston. Suprised? This points towards item 4.

8. Homeless on every street corner in Austin. The liberal government in Austin has policies that encourage it. Houston doesn't tolerate it. Drug use is high in this population and points towards item 7.

9. Not enough infrastructure in Austin for the amount of people. It's crowded most every where you go in Austin. Houston is the opposite. They continue to expand and easily absorb the amount of people moving there.

Has anyone else out there witnessed these observations like me over the last 25-years?

Against my Better Judgment I'm going to respond to this w/o having read any comments:

1. As a Native Houstonian whose parents owned property on Lake Travis for many years, they (parents) always complained about how expensive it was to build a home in Travis County compared to Houston / Harris, the cost of water, etc. This...as far back as the late '60s and early '70s.

2. I think road-wise, Austin was blind-sided with growth. This is not unusual.....happened to Atlanta. About 17 years ago, I visited family who lived in a place I'd never heard of............Round Rock. It was still "undiscovered" at that time.....actually, Austin as a whole was "undiscovered" outside of TX for the most part.

3. Don't even get me started! Houston went through a horrible recession due to the failing oil industry at one point......I still think it's funny that it's "diversified" because I'm tied to oil, and most people I know (A LOT) are tied to oil.......in some way. Houston IS Oil. Austin is government with some tech thrown in (and with all it's ups and downs,) and other "stuff." As far as a certain mall-situation goes....well, things change.....eventually. I still miss Westbury Square......what's going on there?

4. I have seen the police here...up close and personal...often..........more than I want to.
5. Hmm................not sure about this.
6. This is where you FAIL Bigtime! and are "suspect!"
7. Not sure about this..........facts?
8. Now we are in agreement...........the "homeless" or beggars. Awful here. Something needs to be done about it.......maybe like they did in San Diego when I lived there and the mayor "ran them out" of the Gaslight District.
9. Refers back to #2. Again as a Native Houstonian, don't even get me started about the "infrastructure situation" in Houston.............Gobs of people moving in (this back in the '60s and '70s and on)........I have endless stories about being stuck on the Katy Fwy., etc. in a "parking lot" situation when I was a teenager.

In all......in my lifetime.........I would say that Dallas went through in the '80s what Houston did in the '70s, and Austin finally did in the '90s.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

Its not that its boring as much as its that everything fun to do is spread out. You have to travel across the city to fully enjoy it. And as most people know, the city's borders are very large.

Not really... most of it's in or near Loop 610. The exception would be coastal attractions, Kemah, etc.

Originally Posted by mm57553

Friendswood is not Houston. You can get all of that in Leander too, but it's not Austin.

Sounds about right.

[N. Olikee]

Again....as a Native Houstonian, I get somewhat irritated when people say they're from Houston, but I find out they live in Katy, OR Sugarland, OR Missouri City, OR Conroe, etc........That's NOT HOUSTON.